As you have completed 2009 and enter into 2010 it might be helpful if you ask yourself: • who are your mentors and • in what areas are they mentoring you Recently I was asked by a 28 year old church staff member if I would mentor him. He told me he was impressed with me moving my family to Florida so we could grow closer. He noticed how my wife and I interacted and wanted his marriage to be vibrant and healthy in the years to come.

I left our meeting and it dawned on me two meetings later he was totally intrigued with my thoughts and opinions (sometimes strong and maybe too strong) about how to do church and the various models for doing church that we see today. During our third meeting I told him he needed to seek out 3 types of mentors:

1. Relational Mentors – These are mentors that if you could be invisible and get into their heads during the day these people wake-up thinking about how to be a better husband, dad, son, friend, etc.

2. Intimacy with God Mentors – These are mentors that if you could be invisible and get into their heads during the day these people wake-up and live moment by moment during the day in touch with God. It is instinctive for them to consult the Father before making what most of us would consider trivial decisions.

3. Vocational Mentors – Because I was talking to my friend about ministry and church I will use this for vocational (it could be a school teacher, store manager, etc.) mentors. These are mentors that if you could be invisible and get into their heads during the day these people wake-up thinking about how to make their ministry reach more people for Christ and grow those people to become mature followers of Christ.

I told my friend that I love my wife and kids, I have devotional time with God, but to be honest (most of us aren’t) I don’t wake-up, stay up at night, ponder all throughout the day how to have better relationships and become more intimate with God (wish I did, but I’m honest). I told my friend that I do wake-up, stay up at night and ponder throughout the day how to help churches and their leaders become more effective in reaching people for Christ and maturing those that are reached so they in turn can reach others and mature them (II Timothy 2:2). I told my sharp, young staff member that I would attempt to be a good role model in my relationship with my wife and kids, in my relationship with God, but I was not his mentor in these two areas. If he wanted someone that would stretch him to be more effective in his ministry I was his man and would cherish the opportunity to help him grow in his effectiveness in his ministry. Yes I need mentors that are relational and intimate with God. My two happen to work with me. Kraig Kelsey is my relational mentor and Ed Schrader is my intimate with God mentor. By the way I have many, many vocational mentors. Many of you reading this blog who give me access to you and how you do ministry are my mentors. The names are too numerous to list and if I did I would certainly miss many who have and are mentoring me.

My wish and prayer for you entering 2010 is that you will have mentors that grow you relationally with people and our Heavenly Father and challenge you to become all you can in the PLACEs that He plants you through your vocation. Who Are Your Mentors?

Tags: place

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